Ruger 10/22 Upgrade: Introduction

For three seasons now, Shooting Illustrated’s “I Carry” series has featured handguns and gear devoted to everyday carry. Belts, holsters, magazine carriers, knives, lights and other accessories are covered in this series, offering both the neophyte to CCW and the seasoned carrier ideas on gear combinations. We’re expanding our coverage to rifles and shotguns with a new collection of videos on upgrades that can be performed to make your rifle or shotgun exactly the way you want it.

Ruger’s 10/22 semi-automatic rimfire is a great platform to start in highlighting upgrades. It is so popular and ubiquitous that such a large aftermarket has arisen to customize the 10/22 that it is possible to build an entire rifle without using a single part from Ruger. Whether you’re looking to upgrade the trigger, change out the stock, or even replace the barrel, there are top-notch replacement parts available to suit your needs.

As we kick off our new series on upgrading rifles and shotguns, we’re starting with a bone-stock 10/22 carbine. In the coming weeks we’ll replace a number of parts on this rifle, all designed to improve the shooting experience and better tailor the rifle to the shooter’s needs. While this is only one possible configuration out of a nearly endless list, it is a starting point from which we can continue.

Stocks from Magpul and McMillan, a Timney trigger and a Tactical Solutions barrel are all in the works for upgrades to this 10/22. None of these upgrades require more tools than a screwdriver, punch or sanding block and can all safely be done without involving a gunsmith (although, if you have any questions or doubts, that’s definitely a possibility). While we fully understand this is a tiny fraction of the gear out there for the 10/22, it’s a starting point.